For 2019 I ran the 5 miler of the Bull City Race Fest & Food Truck Rodeo. It was...well it was moist. A tropical storm had fizzled into a tropical depression or whatever, and that's what we all ran in. So it was wet, and I wasn't fully able to enjoy looking around along the course because everything was gross. I don't hold that against the race or the organizers at all, you can't do anything about that, right?

The course is hilly, but most things in Durham are. That said it's pretty fair and you do get to run past plenty of really Durham-y things: Both Durham Bulls ballparks, Fullsteam Brewery, Duke University, etc.

The race morning parking is fantastic. There are two parking decks in the area that you have access to, as well as street parking relatively close to the start area. Really can't go wrong in that respect.

The downsides of the event: There were some pretty sizable potholes along the course at times and those spots weren't really well marked. Also, the expo was rather underwhelming with not a ton of vendors there, and it kind of lacked a "big race" feel.

In all, despite the rain, the race was a fun time, and I'm looking forward to running the half marathon distance of it again in the near future.

I've run this race every year since I began running back in 2012, and it's a great race from start to finish. It works its way through downtown Durham and finishes in the historic Durham Athletic Park (home of the movie Bull Durham). It's the perfect size (around 1200 runners) and is just the right amount of hilly to be a challenge at this distance.

While there's not a lot of big climbs, there's definitely a long uphill for the last couple of miles that give you just enough challenge to give you something to work on!

There's not an "expo", but you pick up your packet at Bull City Running Company, which is one of the top 50 running stores in the country seemingly every year. The race shirt is a technical shirt, and is generally one of my favorite running shirts.

I've never had a bad experience at this race, it's a great distance and a fun run through downtown Durham. And the medal is a giant cowbell!

As someone who spends some time watching and following winter Olympic sports, being able to run around Lake Placid, NY was a bit of a dream come true. For a June race, the weather was basically perfect in the morning. The run loops around Mirror Lake, passing the historic Herb Brooks Arena (Miracle on Ice) in the process. The crowd at the start and at the back end of the Mirror Lake loop was fantastic. The run then takes you past the location of the 1980 Opening Ceremonies (and the Olympic cauldron), and eventually over to the giant ski jumps.

For the half marathon it's an out and back course, which usually isn't *great*, but considering the beautiful scenery it's hard to notice you're out-and-backing it.

The downside of all this Olympic feeling: The hills. Oh. My. God. The climb getting back into town is...well it's something. That said, the challenge was worth it when I got back up to the Olympic speed skating oval and finished with a lap around that.

The event was fantastic along the course, with aid stations providing water, gatorade, watermelon, pretzels, and potato chips. As it got a little warm on the back end of the race, folks who live along the course had sprinklers out along the road to cool off. It was a super nice touch!

The only thing I would change is the "race expo", which is really just a bib pickup where you get your shirt and stuff. But, the race is relatively small (the cap is 2,000 runners), so it may not make a lot of sense to have a big expo.

In all, it's an amazing race, especially if you like a hilly challenge and some Olympic history along the way!

The 2018 Rock & Roll Las Vegas was my third attempt at the race. The first two times ended in my body betraying me (muscle cramps in 2015, got sick in 2016). This race went much, much better. And it's a race up and down the strip, with all the lights and everything. What more could you ask for, right?!

Rock & Roll has always done well with their expos, and the Vegas one is one of the biggest ones you'll attend. The convention center is full of local vendors, national vendors, and lots of randomness. The day I was there, Paralympic legend Alana Nichols was going to be making an appearance, which was pretty awesome. The expo has everything you'd want in an expo, lots of swag, some cool other stuff to buy (including those shirts w/ the names of all the runners on it). Big fan of how they handle that.

For years, the race day experience started with a pre-race concert. My first two years were Kid Rock (meh) and Snoop Dogg (far better than expected).The 2018 race had Capital Cities as the band, with the stage moved from near the course to *well* off the course. This is also where the portajohns were, which was pretty inconvenient compared to years past.

Considering the size and scale of the race, the corrals were as expected. There were less speakers along the corral area than in years past, which made it a little tough to feel engaged with what was going on at the start line. Also, with the wind being a little breezier than usual, they started more than one corral at a time. What's usually a VERY organized corral area seemed generally uninspired compared to previous years.

The run itself is spectacular. It starts off a little slow, going south along the strip from Mandalay Bay toward South Point. The turnaround is right by the end of the airport, and at that point you head back toward the city and past the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Once you get back onto the strip the crowds are pretty solid, and the bands are really good. The 2018 race felt like there was a little less entertainment on-course though.

Some highlights on the course are the KISS tribute band in full costume and blinking K-I-S-S lights, the Bellagio fountains seemingly going off a little more often than usual, and the Mirage volcano doing the same. The tough part is the final run in prior to Treasure Island and the lack of anything there to look at or listen to.

My only other gripe is the finish area being long. I get that it's needed with 30,000 runners on course between the 10K, half and full marathons, but once you get past the part with snacks and whatnot it's a HIKE to where you can exit out and see loved ones.

In all, the 2018 edition of the Rock & Roll Las Vegas was another fun race. I felt like it lacked a little bit compared to previous editions (possibly to do with Iron Man purchasing the company?), but the organization's traditionally been good at reevaluating what they're doing and fixing things that people don't enjoy. Would definitely run it again one day.

Many paragraphs on this website will likely be written about the Broad Street Run. By all accounts it's the largest 10 miler in the country, and rightfully the event that all races at this distance should be judged against. Also, it's a downhill run. Not that there's not hills to climb as well, but the net elevation gain is -170 feet over 10 miles. So that's already exciting.

To start, there's a lottery to get in. I'm fortunate that in my three attempts thus far to get into the race I've succeeded and secured a bib through the lottery system. That said, if you can't get in via lottery, they do have various fundraising efforts you can be a part of to become one of the 40,000+ runners to take to Broad Street.

The expo is fantastic, and full of various vendors both local and national. In the 2018 event (the last time I've been able to run it) there was a shoe drive to donate shoes to those less fortunate, which I really dug.

As for the race itself: I've run it three times. The first time it was hot out. The second time it was 45 and rainy. The third time was closer to the hotter side, but otherwise wasn't too bad until you got a little toward the end. The race was otherwise as it's been every other time for me: Pretty fantastic to run.

On race morning, there's ample parking by the arenas down toward the finish and an express, free of charge subway ride to the start. There's ample portajohns at the start, and despite the large mass of runners plenty of places to spread out and stretch.

With most big races you have some sort of "wave" system, and this race is no different. That said, there's only about 7 groups that go, so you're still part of a *very* large sendoff at the start. Finding your place in that group can be a challenge: Start up front with people faster than you and you run the risk of out-pacing yourself. Start in the back behind a ton of slower-than-you folks and you're going to be doing a lot of weaving.

My absolute favorite part of this race is the crowd. Probably 8 of the 10 miles in total has people lining the streets cheering everyone on. There are a few bands along the course, including the Temple University marching band right near halfway. When you get to the finish, the final mile is *packed* with folks cheering people on to give you a final solid kick to the finish.

Post-race, the snacks are fantastic, the baked pretzel is a nice touch! In all, this is probably my favorite race I've run every time I've run it. I tell anyone who enjoys running a longer distance that this should be a bucket list race for them.